Delays are understandable, often inevitable. But the lack of updates and little to no reply to comments on here or on the forums is what is making people feel like there is no project. We have no proof you have actually 'done' anything. No photos, no videos, no examples of code. Just 5 updates a year on a project we successfully funded more than 2 years ago. I was more confident when you admitted you needed help on certain things, but nothing seems to have come of that, and I don't believe for a second there wouldn't have been many people of various skill sets wanting to help this project reach completion. Give us some real updates, send out the hardware (which should be finished by now as well), lets those who are able to, collaborate on the software/firmware side, or give us our money back.

Based on your last update, the only tasks left are software related. That is something an online community can build. So, why not send out the hardware?
If there is hardware related tasks needed I will offer some of my time to help out as I am a mechanical engineer.

It's now May, still no updates or any kind of indication that this project is even real. If you are just waiting on LCDs and software, ship the rest of the hardware. I would rather spend the £5 and solder my own LCD, and the software could be developed by the community. Somehow I doubt that will happen though...

Is there anything else we can do as backers aside from reporting this project to kickstarter?

Have you still not found any developers willing to help with your issues ?

you can at least release the source to the backers ( open source ) and ship out the PCBs that you had designed and manufactured.

You should have received the LCD modules that were blamed for a previous delay so there shouldn't be a reason not to ship what you have and we can at least get something more useful than an update every 4 months.

Mike, I reported this project to Kickstarter both with the button below and the link given by 'Dalmatoid' here in the comments.
This project becomes a joke and instead of making people think along the way with you on how to solve this, you get the opposite by not responding and apologizing, and not reaching any progress at all.
I have given you more than 2 years now to accomplish anything, without success.
Projects here on Kickstarter that are more complex and require even more skills and logistics have succeeded way faster, simply because they are led by people who know how to do so.
It seems to me this is a lost case because you miss both, skills and leadership.
As mentioned in the Kickstarter policy, I suggest you stop working on this project and starting working on a refund plan.

Any update for February?
I am still hopeful that this project will be successful. It sounds like the hardware is ready and that it is just the software that needs completing.
Is there any way to get hardware in the hands of users and let the community figure out any software updates that it needs?

What is the problem?
Is this a scam to keep dragging us along until we lose interest?
I backed you with quite a bit of money.
I would just like to have some straight answers.
Feels to me a year from now will be more excuses.

Hey, just got your apologetic update. We, your backers, backed you because we thought you had a cool idea. So...that makes us allies, albeit grumpy ones. And probably mad gardeners who understand that not every seed planted flowers. But we planted this seed with you because we thought it was a cool seed.

So you underbudgeted and overpromised. It happens, and I already mentioned the grumpy bit. You sound sincere, and I did already mention the grumpy bit, so moving past all that and assuming you are sincere about finishing...

What -- very specifically -- do you need to finish? Time? money? expertise?

Is there a -- very specific -- part of your vision you have finished and can deliver/sell/market/display as evidence that you are making real progress?

Can you call upon your backers for specific bits of work - expertise - cash to get this done so you can live the rest of your life with your head held high and we can get on with our gardening?

We need specificity. No one can help unless we understand the true gap.

Ok guys, I just filed another complaint with Kickstarter. Everyone start doing this. This project failed and Mike scammed us. Everyone has to start filing complaints if we want some action to be undertaken.

Kickstarter's policy:
"If your project is successfully funded, you are required to fulfill all rewards or refund any backer whose reward you do not or cannot fulfill. A failure to do so could result in damage to your reputation or even legal action on behalf of your backers..."

Micheal doesn't seem to respond to messages on facebook or twitter or from the Harvestgeek website, He is active on Reddit under the username " wangyo " ,

Maybe we can pressure him to respond on the project status if enough of us contact him directly in public view to get him to fulfill the project deliverables or refund our contributions,this is really ridiculous !

@everyone who pledged: if we don't get some kind of info SOON we all have to file complaints with Kickstarter. I sent them an e-mail allready and they replied some generic crap about some projects taking longer than expected bla bla (I'm fine with delays) I'm not fine with Mike not responding. I think we got screwed and we need to take action. Everyone file complaints and request you money back. Mike had an obligation! He did not fullfill it!

Also, if these do ship soon, you should send out requests for shipping addresses for those that have moved, like myself. I do not think what you have in your records reflects my current address. Thanks

Thanks for commenting about Almond+, it looks like a really great piece of hardware and in the future we will likely look into integrating with it, and possibly even replacing our base station with it. It is quite a bit more expensive than our base and all the details on integration have not been released yet, so only time will tell.

Would it be possible to: drop the base station, focus on the sensor hardware, and have backers buy an Almond+ instead? That may shorten your hw development time, hardware costs, and allow you to invest elsewhere (web, sensors, etc).

It's been two months since you posted any update, and 6 months since posting anything of substance (pics, video, etc). If you mis-budgeted this project and it's dead, please admit to it. These things happen and it's not good to leave your supporters hanging.

It would be really good to get some updates on what is happening here. If there are issues delaying the hardware, it would be far better to communicate them, because I get the feeling people are rapidly losing confidence in you.

I know you apologized for your level of communication before but if you're failing as a company, a little communication in and of itself will bring a lot of forgiveness. So just talk to us and keep us in the loop.

Any info guys? I've had one backed project that's failed and have gone silent, another that's stopped contact after promising me they'd send a unit out last month.. And now this one that's being slow to update , 7 months past it's expected shipping. I can't back any more kickstarter projects now, my confidence has dropped, even more so after the security breach. Please guys, don't let us down, keep us updated with what's happening!

Despite emailing 3 times in the last 6 months I've had no reply about when I can expect hardware - or indeed anything in return for my money. And now the website harvestgeek.com appears to have gone down. What's going on? This was such a good idea but I'm getting to the point where I feel a bit misled...

I agree with James, before I backed this project I specifically asked about standalone operation. I was told it would run this way. I would very much prefer to not upload any data, anytime, anywhere. Please let us know what is going on. Not near enough updates. Is this gonna work?

Why is the website development holding back the hardware from shipping? I understand that the vision for the product was to have the information directed back to harvestgeek.com where we are given detailed information from the sensors, but is there not standalone software that we could at least work with until the website is up and running?

Superbacker

I'm getting worried. This has happened with other projects that have yet to deliver.

Dates get pushed back. New dates come and go without an update. Facebook page is a ghost town. Now the excuses begin to show up outside of Kickstarter on half assed product pages.

Hey Mike, can we please get an update either on Kickstarter, or your blog -- or both? You're coming up on a year since successful backing, so can you start updating regularly?

Here's some topics that you can cover:

What have you been doing with our money?
How's the hardware coming along?
When's the website going up?
When will the SensorStation+ get completed?
When will the HydroStation get completed?
Is the AutomationStation completed?
When will everything be open source?

Superbacker

I guess we are supposed to go over to the blog to find out info from now on.....

Posted on Dec 5th - "November has come and gone and we are into the first week of December. We are nearly done with the testing of the units, but there is still a few things we have to cross off our list, primarily more range testing and lux calculation correction, before we can start shipping units. We will keep you posted with our progress as it changes!"

So it looks like we may get this in time for the spring planting season